cv

[Angel41]

My nephew has asked me to help him compile his cv. He is 18 and went to collegee straight from school and has only had a couple of part time jobs. Its been so long since I've needed to do one that I cant remember exactly what details are needed or how to set it out. Does anybody know of any good websites that gives examples. Thanks in advance.

[Mike10451045]

Try www.jobsite.co.uk and www.monster.co.uk also register your CV and get loads of job offers by phone!!

[kempie]

Look here for an example Student CV.

[littleoldme]

While there are no hard and fast rules, a good layout is always something like:

1. Personal details (of course!)
2. Jobs/work experience (working backwards) - dates, details of employers, job title, type of work done. As with all parts of the CV, bear in mind the type of job your nephew is applying for, and accentuate any roles he's had which might be applicable to what he's going for.
3. College/senior school education (again, working backwards in time) - dates, details of college/school, qualifications (including grades).
4. Hobbies/personal interests - a more important category than many people think. Chances are he will have to talk about some of these at interview. Again, think about the job he's going for. Employers aren't necessarily so interested in what the hobby actually is, as what it involves - ability to work in a team (e.g. sports), ability to take responsibility etc There's nothing wrong with including things like reading, socialising and so on, but try and find something more substantial too.
5. Any other information - another chance to showcase his talents, e.g. how he thinks he would add to the company and why, what his strengths are (customer service, teamworking, showing initiative etc).

Ideally, a CV should not be more than 2 sides of A4 paper - anything that he can't fit in can always be put in the covering letter, but leave the employers something to ask at interviews! And the Golden Rule (I know I'm repeating myself, but I really can't stress this enough) - focus the CV to match the job. A generic CV is not so likely to succeed, I'm afraid, so be prepared to make alterations for different applications.

I hope this is of some help.

[littleoldme]

Oops - forgot References at the end. Preferably one from a job and one from college.

[rampart]

Your nephew might want to brainstorm on a tablet of paper. Make a list of things you've done that are accomplishments - anything, work related or not. Make a list of things you've done that have benefitted somebody else (such as making a task more streamlined). Try to think of something you've successfully negotiated. Also, make a list of qualities you think the job you want will require, and underneath that, write down how you have displayed those qualities. Draw on everything in your experience -not just work and education. This tablet then has the information you want to reveal somehow in your c.v.

Write the c.v. using items from the list you created.

Now, write a description and requirements of the job you think you want.

Refer back to your c.v. as if you were the interviewer and underline the items you find that fit that job. If you've underlined practically the entire c.v., great!

The c.v. is not just a history. It is your chance to showcase what you bring to the job. The contents of the c.v. must all be true, of course, but it is important to extract the details that matter to the job and bring them out through the c.v.  It is a lot of work.

Good luck.